Food Poisoning, Bacteria Linked to IBS

CHICAGOFood poisoning and bacterial overgrowth in the gut have been linked to an increased risk of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, according to two new studies presented at the Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) scientific conference May 7-10.

Cedars-Sinai researchers, in collaboration with researchers at Sismanogleion General Hospital in Athens and at the University of Athens, examined small bowel cultures to confirm the presence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in patients with IBS. Previous studies indicated bacteria have a role in the disease, including breath tests finding methane (a byproduct of bacterial fermentation in the gut), as well as the disease responding to antibiotics. In this study, 320 patients underwent an endoscopy of their upper GI tract, from which a small bowel culture was cultivated. Of those patients with IBS, 37.5 percent were positive for bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, compared to fewer than 10 percent of those who did not have the disorder. The overgrowth was more prevalent in those with the diarrhea-predominant version of the disease. Researchers also found more different kinds of bacteria in IBS patients.

In a separate study, using a mathematical model, researchers concluded food poisoning gastroenteritis may account for the majority of IBS cases. It also predicted a greater incidence of the disease for populations at a higher risk of these kinds of infections, such as military personnel. The study was based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and other research studies. The model projected 9 percent of those with a genetic predisposition would contract IBS after 10 years. Among high-risk groups such as deployed military, 9 percent of that population would develop the disease in a 6-month time frame.